terça-feira, 31 de agosto de 2010

South Korea offers millions in flood aid to North Korea


(CNN) -- South Korea's Red Cross has offered $8.4 million in flood aid to North Korea, the Yonhap news agency said Tuesday.

The aid includes medical kits, food and emergency supplies, South Korea Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung told reporters.

The Red Cross is Seoul's main channel for humanitarian aid to North Korea. The communist nation has not yet replied to the offer, Chun was quoted as saying.

Earlier this month, nearly 260,000 people in northeastern China and North Korea fled their homes as heavy rains caused the Yalu River to swell over its banks, state news outlets in those countries reported Sunday.

Tensions between North Korea and its southern neighbor have escalated since a May report from Seoul blamed North Korea for the sinking of a South Korean warship in March. CNN